Book picks similar to
For the Taking by Sam Crescent
romance
dark
sam-crescent
not-interested
Sempre
J.M. Darhower - 2014
DEATH... LOVE... FREEDOM. THIS IS A STORY ABOUT FOREVER. Haven Antonelli and Carmine DeMarco grew up under vastly different circumstances. Haven, a second-generation slave, was isolated in the middle of the desert, her days full of hard work and terrifying abuse. Carmine, born into a wealthy Mafia family, lived a life of privilege and excess. Now, a twist of fate causes their worlds to collide. Entangled in a web of secrets and lies, they learn that while different on the surface, they have more in common than anyone would think. In a world full of chaos, where money and power rule, Haven and Carmine yearn to break free, but a string of events that began before either of them were born threatens to destroy them instead. Murder and betrayal are a way of life, and nothing comes without a price-especially not freedom. But how much will they have to sacrifice? Can they escape their pasts? And, most of all, what does it mean to be free?
Beg for Mercy
Jami Alden - 2011
. . And once he has you, all you can do is. . . Beg For Mercy Megan Flynn thought she was falling in love. Cole Williams wasn't just handsome and passionate, he was one of the good guys. Or so she thought, until he arrested her brother-the only family she has left-for a murder she knows he couldn't have possibly committed. Now, with her heart broken and her brother's life hanging in the balance, Megan will risk everything to prove his innocence. Even if that means throwing herself into the path of a sadistic killer with a hauntingly familiar MO. Seattle Detective Cole Williams had given up on making Megan see reason where her brother is concerned. But when she insinuates herself into the most shockingly brutal case Cole has ever worked, he can't stand idly by. Plunged into a secret world where the city's elite indulge their darkest desires, Cole will do whatever it takes to bring down a madman who has made Megan his most coveted prey.
First Touch
Laurelin Paige - 2015
Though the two were once notorious party girls, they haven't spoken in years. Although the message might sound benign to anyone else, Amber uses a safe word that Emily recognizes, a word they always used to get out of sticky situations during their wild days. And what's more chilling than the voicemail: it turns out that Amber has gone missing.Determined to track down her friend, Emily follows a chain of clues that lead her to the enigmatic billionaire Reeve Sallis, a hotelier known for his shady dealings and play boy reputation. Now, in order to find Amber, Emily must seduce Reeve to learn his secrets and discover the whereabouts of her friend. But as she finds herself more entangled with him, she finds she's drawn to Reeve for more than just his connection to Amber, despite her growing fear that he may be the enemy. When she's forced to choose where her loyalty lies, how will she decide between saving Amber and saving her heart?
Enemies and Playmates
Darcia Helle - 2009
Lauren Covington's family maintains a grand facade that belies the life they live behind closed doors. Alex Covington, Lauren's father, keeps a tight rein on his family through dominance, abuse, and obsessive control. Consequently, Lauren doesn't believe she could ever trust a man, much less fall in love with one. When Lauren meets Jesse Ryder, her carefully constructed protective wall shatters. She falls hopelessly and completely in love. It's only fitting that Jesse is a private detective who had once worked for her father, had defied him, and was now the subject of Alex Covington's wrath. Amidst devastating loss, betrayal, and her father's destructive pursuit of Jesse, Lauren finds the trust and love she had always longed for.
Bang
E.K. Blair - 2014
But I’m not innocent. I haven’t been for a very long time. My innocence was stolen from me. Taken was the life I was supposed to have. The soul I was born with. The ruby heart embedded in a life full of hopes and dreams.Gone.Vanished.I never even had a choice. I mourn that life. Mourn the what-ifs. Until now. I’m ready to take back what was always meant to be mine.But every plan has a fatal flaw. Sometimes it’s the heart.**Due to the dark and explicit nature of this book, it is recommended for mature audiences only as some scenes may be particularly disturbing.**
Celia
Kali Hart - 2021
A Turner Sisters Small Town RomanceAn Instalove Enemies to Lovers Curvy Woman RomanceCeliaI’m excited to move back to my hometown and open the B&B that my sisters and I inherited.All that’s left before the grand opening is the kitchen remodel.Since I’m the chef of the family, it’s my job to oversee it.Too bad no one told me Malcom Maxwell was the man hired for the job.I used to have an embarrassing crush on him in high school.But he never noticed me.He’s the last person in Daisy Hills I want to be stuck alone with, but no one else can get the job done in time.MalcomI don’t remember Celia from high school.But for the life of me, I can’t understand why.She’s a curvaceous beauty with a fiery, take-charge personality.I’m drawn to her the instant she walks through the door.Too bad she wants nothing to do with me.But the harder she tries to push me away, the more determined I am to break down her barriers.I may not have noticed her in high school, but she’s all I see now.I’m not giving up on her without a fight.
Wrenched
Emma James
Knight’s Den of Vipers then you might enjoy this twisted series. If you simply like your reading unpredictable and a walk on the wild side then this series could be a good fitA fast-paced, plot-driven, addictive series.She goes by the name, Whisper.It is all she owns.Stolen from her family, she is raised in captivity by her master and mistress.Freedom is brief from her gilded cage—only to become a debt owed.Edge is a hardened enforcer for a biker club.Girls are going missing.An alliance is made between two biker clubs who want answers.Then a letter changes everything.It's now a race against time.The clock is ticking.Who is good? Who is bad? Who is lying?Can Edge stop the evil that is coming for the girl who only wanted to stay a whisper?Author Note: If you like a full cast of well written characters, an unpredictable plot, an age gap romance, a strong female lead, and a biker who will stop at nothing to right wrongs... then this is the series for you.This is not a standalone series. This is a don't-stop-reading-until-the-ride-ends series. A gloriously twisted series waiting for you to begin.
Hawk's Revenge
N.M. Catalano - 2019
There will be triggers. If you don't like the dark, do not enter. You have been warned. 18+ adult content.**HawkI have no soul, it died fifteen years ago.Lethal, dangerous, and silent. I’m a demon, created in the vilest hells on earth, born from revenge.They call me The Reaper. I’m a killer, and I do it very well.That’s why I was sent.But there was a complication.Her.Things changed. I don’t save people. I kill them.I wasn’t sent to save her.But I don’t want to kill her. JoI live in hell and the devil rules me.He rules everyone.He tried to break me, but I survived.I live in a world of deceit and betrayal.I thought there was no hope.Until him.He’s the worst of them all.Dark, dangerous, and beautiful.And maybe exactly what I need.He’s not a hero, but you can’t defeat the devil unless you’ve been to hell.He could be my salvation.Or my total destruction.This is a stand-alone, no cliff hangers.
Summer's Road
Kelly Moran - 2011
I'm in love with her. She breaks my heart over and over, day after day, but I love her. We grew up next door to one another. She's kind and beautifully broken, and she has no idea how I feel. Because of her depression, and since she never showed any signs she felt the same, I've kept silent. Tormented. Wanting her. Becoming the playboy everyone views. I'm her rock. She needs me. I fear she's keeping secrets from me, too. Then a passionate moment between us changes everything, gives me hope. Yet the guy she's been dating wants to take their relationship to the next level. If I don't make a move soon, I could lose her. But telling her the truth could rip us apart forever.Top Review Pick from Night Owl Reviews & The Romance Reviews!*A stand-alone novel with a HEA*"With a tortured heroine and headstrong hero, Moran crafts a story about making the difficult choices in the search for love." ~NY TIMES and USA TODAY bestselling author, Caridad Pineiro
Thorn in My Side
Karin Slaughter - 2011
The scene is an Atlanta bar. The music is loud and the dance floor is packed. The good-looking brother picks up a girl. But when dark deeds ensue out in the parking lot, what happens next can only be described in two words: vintage Slaughter.
Debt Inheritance
Pepper Winters - 2014
I have the piece of paper to prove it. It’s undeniable and unbreakable. You belong to me until you’ve paid off your debts.” Nila Weaver’s family is indebted. Being the first born daughter, her life is forfeit to the first born son of the Hawks to pay for sins of ancestors past. The dark ages might have come and gone, but debts never leave. She has no choice in the matter. She is no longer free.Jethro Hawk receives Nila as an inheritance present on his twenty-ninth birthday. Her life is his until she’s paid off a debt that’s centuries old. He can do what he likes with her—nothing is out of bounds—she has to obey. There are no rules. Only payments.
Dirty Angels
Karina Halle - 2014
Please see the bottom of this description to see if this is the kind of book that you'll love or piss you off**For Luisa Chavez, a twenty-three year old former beauty queen, a better life has always been just out of her reach. Sure, she’s had men at her feet since she was a young teenager but she’s never had the one thing she’s craved – security. Having grown up in near poverty, her waitressing job in Cabo San Lucas can barely let her take care of herself, let alone her ailing parents. Every day is another unwanted advance, every day is a struggle to survive.When Salvador Reyes, the depraved leader of a major Mexican cartel, takes an interest in her, Luisa is presented with an opportunity she can’t afford to pass up. She’ll become Salvador’s wife and exchange her freedom and body for a life of riches – riches she can bestow upon her deserving parents. But Luisa quickly finds out that even the finest wines and jewels can’t undo the ugliness in her marriage, nor the never-ending violence that threatens her every move.Soon, Luisa is looking for an escape, a way out of the carefully controlled life she’s leading. She finally gets her wish in the worst way possible.As it is, being the wife of Salvador makes her an ideal target for rival cartels and there’s one particular man who needs Luisa as part of his cartel’s expansion. One particular man whose quest for power has destroyed lives, slit throats and gotten him out of an American prison. One particular man who will stop at nothing until he gets what he wants.That man is Javier Bernal. And he wants Luisa. He wants to take her, keep her, ruin her.Unless she ruins him first.***WARNING*** This book deals with drug cartels and as such it contains a lot of sex and violence and some violent sex. It can get pretty ugly, pretty dark and pretty crazy. There is drug use, abuse, a bit of torture and dubious consent. The hero is not a hero and the villains...well, they're even worse. If this sort of thing bothers you, PLEASE DO NOT READ IT. This ain't no cupcake farting unicorn kind of book. If you are even a bit squeamish about violence, brutality and rape, this is your warning to stay away from a book that you certainly will not like (and why read books that you know you won't like?)******While this is a spin-off of The Artists Trilogy, prior knowledge of the books is not needed. DIRTY ANGELS is the first in a trilogy, however each book can standalone and follows or introduces different characters***
What She Did
Carla Kovach - 2021
Everything has to be simple, ordered, in its place.It gives me the illusion that I’m in control. Even though I know I never can be.Twenty years ago, I lost everyone I ever loved, and they say it was all my fault.I’ve tried to make sure I could never hurt anyone again, but it’s hard to live any kind of life without letting anyone get close to me.And then come the sirens; the knock at the door.If I’d done something terrible, I would know, wouldn’t I?An absolutely unputdownable psychological thriller that’ll keep you reading long into the night. Perfect for fans of C.L. Taylor, Teresa Driscoll and Lisa Jewell.